Accepted Ally (Sabbat, 1 pt. Merit): You have a useful
connection in the mortal world, a connection of value even to Sabbat leaders.
You are allowed to keep this contact as long as there are no complications. If
the need should arise, you are expected to kill your contact to protect the
Sabbat or prove your loyalty.
Anachronism (2 pt. Flaw): You have been a
vampire for some time, and are unable (or unwilling) to keep up with the
changing times. An Intelligence roll is needed whenever you have to deal with
something from a later period than your own breathing days. If the roll is
failed, total the net failures and use this total as a negative modifier to your
attempts. Note that characters with this flaw will generally have been vampires
for longer than the 50 years suggested, so Storytellers should decide whether or
not to allow this flaw in their chronicles.
Approved Friendship (Sabbat, 2 pt. Merit): You have a
friendship with a non-Sabbat, either mortal or Kindred, that you are allowed to
keep for some reason. Your friend must have some influence or ability that makes
him valuable to the sect or else you would have been ordered to destroy him long
ago. However, if the need arises, your leader may ask you to kill your
friend.
Church Ties (3 pt. Merit): You have influence and
contacts in some local churches, and have the means to create protest rallies
and raise money. The more you use your ties, of course, the greater your risk of
being found out.
Corporation CEO (5 pt. Merit): You have a particular
influence and sway over a major corporation and associated companies, just as if
you were its CEO. Indeed, you may have owned this company before your Embrace,
and retained your control. Through this corporation, you know much that takes
place in the corporate community, and have the means to wage economic warfare.
This merit provides you with some informal Contacts and Resources, the exact
extent of which are determined by the Storyteller.
Corporate Ties (3 pt. Merit): You have both influence
over and contacts in the local corporate community. You understand the dynamics
of money in the city and have links with all the major players. In times of
need, you can cause all sorts of financial mayhem, and can raise considerable
amounts of money (in the form of loans) in a very short period of time.
Judicial Ties (2 pt. Merit): You have both influence over
and contacts in the justice system. You know most of the judges as well as the
attorneys in the prosecutor's department, and can affect the progress of various
cases and trials with limited difficulty. Though it is difficult to intervene in
a case, you can influence it in one direction or another. These ties can also
make it easy to acquire search warrants.
Mansion (2 pt. Merit): You won a large mansion - a home
with 25 or more rooms - as well as the surrounding estate. The servants, if you
have any, are provided for if you choose this merit, though they cannot be used
as Herd or Retainers unless you purchase the appropriate background. The mansion
is assumed ot have the most current electronic security available, as well as a
fence around the perimeter. While the mansion can be in as poor or as good shape
as you wish, the more inhabited it appears to be, the more attention it will
garner. A ghost house won't attract IRS audits.
Media Ties (2 pt. Merit): You have both influence over
and contacts in the local media. You can suppress and create news stories
(though not always with 100% efficiency - journalists are an unruly bunch) and
you have access to the files and gossip of the staffs of newspapers and TV
stations.
Nightclub (2 pt. Merit): You own a moderate-sized
nightclub, perhaps one of the hottest nightspots in the city. This club brings
in enough money to support you in moderate luxury ($1000 a month, but it can
grow), but more important than the money is the prestige. You may use the
nightclub as your haven, or you may simply hang out there. The name of the
nightclub, its style, design, and its regular patrons are all up to you.
Variations on this theme could include: a restaurant, theater, comedy club,
sports arena, or retail store.
Police Ties (3 pt. Merit): You have both influence over
and contacts in the local police department. You can, with a single phone call,
cause an APB to be issued. However, the more often you use your ties with the
plice department, the weaker they become, and the more attention you attract
toward yourself. Your influence is not solid (that can be achieved only through
game play) and can let you down at times.
Political Ties (3 pt. Merit): You have both influence
over and contacts among the politicians and bureaucrats of the city. In times of
need, you can shut off the power and water to a building or neighborhood, and
can unleash many different means of harassment against your enemies. The more
you use your political ties, the weaker they become (and total control can only
be achieved through game play).
Secret Friendship (Sabbat, 1 pt. Flaw): You maintain a
friendship with a mortal or a vampire outside the Sabbat, despite knowing that
if you are discovered there is a good chance that both of you would be
destroyed. You are always having to cover up this relationship. You must never
reveal this secret or you will be in deep trouble.
Underworld Ties (3 pt. Merit): You have both influence
over and contacts in the local Mafia and organized street gangs. This provides
you with limited access to large numbers of "soldiers", as well as extensive
links to the underworld of crime. The more often you use your ties with the
criminal element, the weaker they grow.
Ward (3 pt. Flaw): You are devoted to the protection of a
mortal. You may describe your ward, though the Storyteller will actually create
her. This character may be a friend or relative from your pre-Embrace days, or
simply a mortal you admire and consider important. Wards have a way of getting
caught up in the action of stories, and are frequent targets of a character's
enemies.
